Final Fantasy XV: Revelation
by Preferably Bitter 52
Summary: Wanting to live up to the Amicitia name, Iris joins Noctis and his friends in the retelling of Final Fantasy XV, told in fuller, in-depth detail
1. Chapter 1: Parting Ways

Disclaimer: Don't own ff15, obviously, otherwise I sure wouldn't be making this fanfic, I'd definitely add this to the game

' _Noctis_ '= Thoughts

OoO= Short pause/cut

XxXxxxxx= Long pause/cut

*Noctis= Sound

 **A/N: So I wanted to make this fanfic to expand on the world of FFXV, while the gameplay is incredible, the story leaves much to be desired considering the great potential it has. So anyways, enjoy:)**

* * *

Chapter 1: Parting Ways

It was an early morning, the clouds were parted slightly to let a sliver of sunlight escape and illuminate the evened pavement of the city grounds. Noctis slept at the near top of the apartment building, though being the prince, he could sleep in any room he wanted, in his own apartment, the sunlight could barely etch the top before day break came.

*ring

*ring

Emitting a soft groan, Noctis turned over and quickly pressed the snooze button on his alarm, then promptly settled back to sleep.

*ring

 _'What is it now…'_ He thought, before slowly sitting back up and grabbing his phone. "...huh, it's Specs," Noctis muttered to himself. "Guess it must be pretty important."

"Hello?" Noctis said.

"Good morning, Noct. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Yeah, well, the alarm sure didn't."

"Then I was right to call you."

Noctis let out a short yawn. "...but it's so early, I don't even think the sun's out yet."

"I'm heading over regardless, you had best be awake and ready by the time I get there. Altissia is quite the distance and his grace is eagerly awaiting your presence."

"Right-right."

"Good, I'll arrive shortly."

*beep-beep

Noctis cracked a wry smile as he finally got out of bed.

OoO

Locking the door behind him, Noctis approached the Regalia, where Ignis was impatiently waiting. "It's been awhile since I've been in this car," Noctis said, taking his seat on the passenger side.

"You were in this car about a month ago, I believe," Ignis remarked, gearing the engine. Surprisingly, Ignis wasn't yet dressed in his custom fit royal garments, rather he had a on a plain striped shirt with suspenders and faded gray pants, which made Noctis feel a lot more comfortable that he wasn't dressed yet either.

"Well, not really much of a reason to use this car since you always drive me around in yours."

Ignis sighed in a mock exasperation. "Forgive me for working too hard."

"Sooo, why this car today, anyways?"

"For the guest's convenience to go to the signing ceremony, at least that's what Captain Darutos mentioned."

"Ah, I see."

"I shall entrust this car to him once we arrived in Citadel."

"Yeah, the Regalia's practically brand new. I don't mind him driving it."

Ignis glanced at Noctis, a grin crept up his face. "And you don't want to drive, Noct? I recall you being rather eager to drive once you got your license."

"I _was_ eager to drive, then I found out about traffic, and it's not like I can just go anywhere I want. It's a lot easier to let someone drive for me."

"Are you sure it isn't an excuse to get more sleep?"

"You got me," He fidgeted with his seat position for a bit until he turned back to Ignis. "Y'know, I bet Iris is pretty excited to drive the Regalia, took her forever to get her license."

"She simply hadn't the time, Gladio rarely allows her to have a break from training."

Noctis kicked his shoes back onto the dashboard. "Must be tough being the King's shield…"

"It's no harder than being the King's advisor." Ignis jokingly replied.

"I can only imagine how you feel Ignis," Noctis said half-sarcastically, half-honestly.

OoO

The Regalia smoothly rolled into the parking, Ignis and Noctis stepped out of the car and met with Drautos, the hard faced, heavily clad Captain of the Kingsglaive, who was waiting in front of the Citadel that stood soaring above the sprawling city of Insomnia.

"Your Highness," Drautos swiftly greeted. "We've been waiting."

"It's been awhile, Drautos."

"Yes, it has. Ignis, the car?" Drautos asked.

"In the parking lot."

"Thank you, after your business here is finished, you'll be returning home, correct, Prince Noctis?"

"Yep."

"Understood, I'll have someone drop you off in the meantime."

"Thanks."

"And Ignis,"

"Sir?"

Drautos drew a hand past his short, brown hair. "Make sure you're available at all times, I'm not sure when King Regis will be able to see you all given his schedule."

Ignis attempted to suppress the expression of surprise on his face at the unexpected change of plans, but Drautos could read right through him. "His...meeting probably ran over longer than expected," Drautos supplied.

"So what happened to that 'his grace is eagerly awaiting your presence'?" Noctis asked, directing his question to Ignis.

Ignis pushed his glasses up, pausing before answering. "...I...had no idea."

"Hopefully his majesty will see to your departure tomorrow," Drautos said.

"Yeah, hopefully."

"Captain," Ignis suddenly said.

"Hm?"

"Is the date of the signing of the treaty still undecided?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

Ignis let out a short sigh, a sure sign he was beginning to get flustered. "Indeed."

"I understand your anxieties, but King Regis wishes to proceed with caution."

"Likwise…"

"In any case, I'll call you when I get word."

"Much obliged."

Noctis turned to enter the Citadel. "So...what'll we do 'till Drautos 'get's word'?"

"It's up to you, Novt, though I assume you'll take another nap."

"You know me too well."

The Citadel was spacious on the inside as tall as it was on the outside, with freshly waxed, gray marble floors to mark the special occasion. Noctis spotted Iris conversing with an attendant who happened to be a relative to Ignis (both of them seemed to share the same amount of patience). Once Iris caught sight of Noctis and Ignis, she immediately ran up to them.

"Hey Noct, Iggy!" Iris chirped.

"Salutations, Iris," Ignis promptly greeted.

"Hey," Noctis said.

"Ready for your big day, Noct?"

"Yeah," His tone was forcibly flat like he was trying to sound as aloof as he possibly could. It bothered Iris how distant he always sounded, but she could never find it in her to tell him.

"...yeah," Iris said, weakly.

"Iris, I dare say you're more excited about the wedding than the groom himself," Ignis lightly teased in an attempt to break the silence dragging on between the two.

Iris shifted uncomfortably, rocking back and forth on her jet-black boots. "...um…" She fashioned a loose smile. "Who wouldn't be?! Honestly, I'm just lucky I get to be Noct's escort, come on, I'm totally gonna have to get some worldwide recognition when the headlines read 'Iris, second seat of the Amicitia saves his highnesses' royal ass'!"

Noctis cracked a small smile. "I think I can manage, my combat skills are pretty good, right, Ignis?"

"..."

"Ignis?"

"Frankly it could use some further refining,"

"'Course you would say something like that."

The group began making their way to Noctis' quarters which lay buried deep within the confusing labyrinth called hallways. It was a nightmare to navigate for a foreigner, but having been raised here, Noctis had no trouble making his way through.

"Iris, how has your training with Gladio been going along?" Ignis asked.

"It's been hell."

Ignis and Noctis chuckled at her mock seriousness.

"After I completed the self-defense course in a day, when apparently it was supposed to be a three month long course, Gladdy decided he'd personally come up with his own self-defense course for me in preparation for the trip. At least now no one can say I'm underprepared..." She clarified.

"That does sound..." Noctis paused when a pair of guards standing as still and motionless as the statues decorating the halls greeted him with a bow.

"Good morning, your highness."

"Yes, Good morning!"

"Morning." He lowered his voice as they were passing by the two guards. "I can't stand... that."

"Being greeted?" Ignis questioned, slightly confused.

"No...all the formality, bowing their heads like _that_ all the time."

"You are royalty," Iris said.

"I know but—" Before he could finish, two Kingsglaive guards rushed by, one bumped shoulders with Ignis.

"Pardon," Ignis muttered.

"Sorry 'bout that, sir!"

"Come on, eyes forward!" The other guard yelled.

Noctis watched the guards disappear behind the sharp corridor, he turned to Ignis who flashed a sardonic smile. "Were those...Kingsglaive uniforms?"

"Precisely, but they aren't from Crown City so I suppose they don't who you are."

"Doubt it, if they're in the Citadel 24/7."

Iris was awestruck by the guards. "So that was the Kingsglaive? I've never seen them in person before…"

"The Kingsglaive are his grace's own personal guards, and with the war going on, they've been rather busy." Ignis explained. "I imagine they have mixed feelings about the empire's terms for the treaty."

"I get everything out there will belong to Niflheim, but don't they live in Insomnia right now?" Noctis asked.

"Yes, but even so, their home will cease to be a part of Lucis, it must be shocking news to hear."

"Yeah…" Noctis stopped to open the door to his room, he went in while Iris and Ignis followed behind. His room was massive, likewise being a prince, but to Noctis that just meant he had more room to put stuff on the floor.

"Just like I remember it," Iris said with a laugh.

Ignis sighed. "Unfortunately." he faced Noctis. "I do hope you plan on tidying up your room since it won't be just you in here whenever you return. Speaking of, has Umbra paid a visit?"

"Nope, but I did send the notebook back, so she's probably busy or something."

"Doing what, I wonder?" Iris asked.

He shrugged. "Uh, Oracle-y things? I have no idea what Luna's doing right now," Noctis said.

"Whatever she's doing, we best start working on this room."

"Well then, Ignis, just pack whatever you think I'll need, and Iris—"

"Yeah, Noct." She was distracted by an old picture of Noctis and Luna together during their childhood, there was a noticeable coffee smudge on the edge she couldn't help but to wonder about.

"If you don't have anything better to do, would you mind helping out?"

"Oh, no, not at all, but I have to leave in a bit to see about my royal garments."

"What for, weren't they tailored a few months ago?"

"I kinda didn't like the shirt color so they…" Realizing how petty she sounded, Iris' tone and body language started to come off as sheepish. "...they...had to go back and re-tailor it..."

"Didn't think you were so picky."

"Yes, quite childish,"

"I know-I know...just don't tell Gladdy about this, or he'll make me go through another ten hours of training."

"We won't say a word about it, your highness." Noctis smirked as Iris shot him an angry glare.

Iris and Ignis went back to sorting out the clutter while Noctis eased himself on the bed—still made up after all this time. "I think I spent more time trying to sneak out of here than actually staying in here."

"Indeed," Ignis said, neatly packing in a second shirt into a suitcase. "Often I would go along with you, and every single time you escaped the king went into a panic."

"It's a good thing you did, otherwise, King Regis would've sent out his own Glaive searching for Noct." Iris mentioned.

"Imagine that, sure am a pretty big deal around here."

"I wonder why," Ignis said sarcastically. "Everyone gets so worried for you around here, especially after you sustained your injury."

"Yeah, I know."

"Before then you were a much more livelier child, I still wonder what happened."

"Seriously? I guess I did talk a lot less to everyone."

"Huh, really? Now that I think about it, I didn't see much of you after you got hurt until high school," Iris said.

"Is that when you started training as backup?" Noctis asked. "After I got stuck in that wheelchair?"

"Yeah...kind of sucks being second-born, I'll constantly be behind Gladdy and if one day I'm not, that means something terrible happened to him."

"I totally get where you coming from…" He mused.

"Nothing wrong with that, you're an important asset on the team regardless," Ignis said to lighten the mood, he faced Noctis after musing himself for a bit. "Speaking of, Noct, how have you been keeping up with your training?"

"Last week I confirmed I was pretty good at blade-warping," He let on.

"Hm, pray tell?"

"I warped-striked into some store by accident—no one got hurt, except for me when I fell."

"Novice mistake, but it seems you've really gotten down blade-warping after you've had so much trouble with it in the past, especially with your injuries."

"Not like I had a choice, if I can't warp I'm as good as dead out there."

Tired of sorting through the clutter, Iris plopped down beside Noctis. "Oh come on, none of us can warp, but it's not like we'll all die out there."

"I believe it's more about living up to potential than the latter," Ignis said.

*beep

*beep

It was Ignis' phone no doubt with the tone-less ringtone, Ignis gestured apologetically to Noctis and Iris before taking the call. He muttered a few words and briefly glanced over to Noctis, then returned his phone to his pocket.

Noctis and Iris looked at Ignis. "Unfortunately his grace is too busy to meet with us today," Noctis stared at the floor.

"I'm going to check on the baggage for the ceremony, in the meanwhile, you two should continue to sort through the belongings, it'll be a long road ahead of us." With that, Ignis gently closed the door behind him.

"Wish Iggy would take a load off once in awhile, he'll overwork himself before we even leave the citadel," Iris said.

"Don't sweat it, he likes all the extra work...I think..." Noctis trailed off. "Hey Iris..."

"What's up?"

"Do you think...I mean...never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing, I just spoke without thinking."

"You're always so closed off Noct, would it kill you to open up a little more?"

"Tch, you sound like my dad."

She toyed with him. "What, is my voice that deep?"

"You know that's not what I meant."

"Then what?"

Noctis let out a disgruntled sigh, Iris could tell he was reluctant, so she continued herself. "If it's any consolation, whenever you become king, you'll have some awesome friends looking out for you, whether you want us to or not."

"But...you think _I'll_ make an ok king?"

"Yeah you'll make an ok king."

"Just an 'ok' king?"

"Hey, I'm just agreeing with what you said."

He snorted. "That's a first."

OoO

*knock-knock-knock

*kno—

The heavy wooden sword was knocked out from the soldier's clammy grasp and landed with a soft thud on the padded floors. The sound of grunts and sword clashing bounced off the spacious walls in the Crownsguard Training hall. Standing by the entrance was Clarus Amicitia, the king's own shield, and Gladiolus, his son, in admist all the sparring matches, they were going over security measures for the signing of the peace treaty between the august Lucis and the industrialized Niflheim empire.

"So even Cor will be out patrolling during the signing?" Gladiolus asked, leaning on the wall, he was already dressed in his royal fatigues which put his robust abs on display.

"As will the Crownsguard, but only the bare minimum will be on duty. You can never be too cautious with Niflheim." Clarus' short, rough white hair and worn skin showed his old age, now that he was past his prime, no longer was he the king's shield but a part of the king's ruling council.

"So the Citadel will be left to the Kingsglaive, then? Guess they don't know what you're capable of."

Clarus quietly chuckled. "The Kingsglaive has seen more than their fair share of battles, it's they who are capable, Gladiolus."

"Yeah…" He still sounded unconvinced. "You're the king's shield, aren't you?"

"In this time of peace, the Crownsguard fulfils a different role—for the people."

"Ah, so a people's shield."

"Precisely. Protecting the populace extends to his majesty."

"Really now," He said noncommittally.

"The sole duty of an Amicitia is to safeguard and support the king, Glaive or Shield."

"Like I haven't heard that before."

Noticing the sharp change in attitude in his son, Clarus adopted a much more formal tone. Looking at Gladiolus squarely in the eye, he spoke to his son as a royal advisor. "The ceasefire will certainly bring about many changes to Lucis, but no matter what, your duty as an Amictia is to keep Prince Noctis safe."

Gladiolus frowned, confused why his father felt the need to say this. "As always." He uttered.

"Protect him not just as the next king, but as a comrade and a true friend. I will do the same within the walls and I entrust you shall outside these walls."

"Yes, sir!"

*knock

The knocking came from the door. "Come in." Clarus beckoned.

Cor along with Prompto following behind entered into the training hall. "Pardon the intrusion," Cor said.

"And pardon me —" Prompto paused when he saw Gladiolus. "W-wait, Gladio?!"

"What're you doin' here, Prompto?" Gladiolus asked.

"For his Crownsguard uniform," Cor supplied, Prompto vigorously nodded after him. "So I figured he should meet the captain himself." Prompto nodded again.

"Got it."

Prompto tensed up when Clarus walked up to him. "Prompto Argentum, is it?"

He started to nod his head, then went in for a verbal approach instead. "Y-yes sir!" He was stuttering.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, it appears your training went smoothly, I see no injuries."

"Uh...n-no sir, no injuries! It went...smoothly...at least I think so." He stared at the ground for a second, before setting his eyes back on Clarus' seeping gray ones—at least he attempted to make eye contact, but it proved difficult. "Oh, a-and I promise to protect Prince Noctis with my life!" He sputtered out.

"That's very noble of you to say, but remember you must also protect yourself, hence the training."

He nodded.

"I understand you wish to accompany Noctis as his friend on this journey, take pride in that fact when you stand beside Noctis."

More nodding and a short 'Thank you'.

"Thank you for the time, and may you be on your way."

"Yes, sir!

"I guess I should check up on a few things too," Gladiolus said laxly, though it was just an excuse to follow Prompto out into the hallway.

OoO

"You gonna wait around here for Noct?" Gladiolus asked.

"Nah, I think I'm heading home for a little bit."

"What for?"

"I got word that my parents might be home and so I really wanna show 'em my new digs. It'll be proof that I'm deemed worthy to go along with you guys on the trip, I just hope they're here, otherwise I won't seem them in like, forever."

"It'll really suck if they're not there, won't it?"

"They...really aren't ever there. Maybe I'll see them a few times a month, my dad is a part of the Kingsglaive after all and with the treaty and stuff going on I don't see him that much."

"What about your mom?"

"Never bothered to tell me what she does...soooo if they're gone then I'm coming right back here!"

"Got it, but I might be out a little late, got dinner plans."

"Ooooh, pray tell." Prompto chirped in a mock accent.

"My family and I are going out to eat, which practically never happens so I figured I'd tag along, but whatever food they have can't beat cup noodles."

"Such refined taste, well, tell Iris I said hi."

"You can tell her yourself, can't you?"

"She told me she's been super busy lately trying to finish her semester in college while also training with you every day."

 _'Huh guess, I might of overworked her too much these past couple of months...'_ "Nah, her training is over now, so you should talk to her whenever you get the chance. I bet she's tired of seeing my face already."

"Then I'll definitely give her a call and annoy her!"

OoO

Iris stood in the main hallway looking over her re-tailored Crownsguard's uniform, it consisted of a plain burgundy shirt (the only spot of color on her entire uniform) coupled with a mini skirt held up by two loose belts, knee-length boots and a leather jacket with a faded Crownsguard insignia on the back. "Looks good, now all that's left is to..." She trailed off when she caught sight of Libertus, a fellow Kingsglaive guard, stumble to the ground, she rushed over to the heavyweight young man and picked up his crutches.

"You alright?" She asked, handing him his crutches.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He took a moment to heave himself upright. "Thanks."

"It's nothing, you're the Kingsglaive I heard of, right?"

"Yeah that's me, name's Libertus, and you must be Iris Amicitia."

She blinked. "You...know who I am?"

"Oh yeah I hear your name tossed around in a few bars 'round here, you're a pretty popular hunter."

She rubbed the back of her head. "Only because I don't charge as much as the other guys."

"And you do your work efficiently." He added cheerily.

"That goes for the Kingsglaive too!" She added cheerily as well.

"Much appreciated, we Kingsglaive rarely get as much praise as the Crownsguard."

"I can't imagine why, you guys are like, so awesome."

"Believe me, you're in the vast minority when you say that."

"That really sucks...oh, I should probably get going, sorry for bothering you."

"No not at all, in fact, you remind me of someone who I call my little sister."

"Really? Send her my regards."

"Will do."

The sound of Libertus' crutches sticking to the ground and his rough grunts got quieter and quieter as the moments passed until they were replaced by the sound of footsteps approaching her.

"Hey Iris," Noctis called out, he walked up to her. "Finally got your new Crownsguard outfit together, huh?"

"Yep, oh, are you going somewhere Noct?"

"Yep, Specs called and said he'll be working overtime so I'm riding back home with Darutos. Good thing too, I was bored as hell in that room."

"He's Kingsglaive too isn't he?"

"Uh yeah, Darutos is, why do you ask?"

"No reason, I just have them on mind."

"Gotcha, well, have fun doing whatever you're doing tonight."

"Going out for dinner?"

"Yeah that."

"You got anything special planned?"

"Other than for Ignis to chew my ear off as usual, no, not much."

Iris giggled. "Good luck with that, anyways, see ya, Noct!"

"Later."

OoO

The monotonous noises coming from the TV were drowned out by Noctis' inner thoughts as he lay comfortably on his couch waiting for Ignis to come in. When he finally did return to his apartment, it was late at night and all of his favorite programs were over.

 _'I shouldn't of even bothered to wake up today...'_ He took his phone out and scrolled through his recent text messages. _'Looks like Ignis should be coming here soon, good, I could use the company.'_

Several levels below Noctis' own, Ignis and Prompto were entering into the apartment building. "Whoa this place is huge!" Prompto exclaimed, gaping wide-eyed at the ample room the lobby had to offer.

"It certainly is fit for a king,"

"And a prince!"

"That reminds me, Prompto, were you able to see your parents today?"

His face flickered with sadness for a brief second before he speedily masked it with a cheesy smile. "Nope, and I probably won't see them until we get back—maybe."

"That's rather unfortunate," Ignis pressed on the elevator button.

"Are your parents always gone like mine, Ignis?"

"On the contrary, my parents constantly supervised and directed my behavior so that I may act accordingly around the king. I don't remember there being a time longer than a minute when they weren't around me when I was young."

"So that's why you baby Noct so much, it's your job."

"Partly, but also because his mother died while he was so young, that's also why I've took it upon myself to fulfill that role for him."

The elevator door slid open and a young woman emerged from the outside, Prompto coughed and shifted uncomfortably. "'E-evening!" He squeaked out.

She nodded. "Good evening!" The words smoothly rolled off her tongue.

"Good evening." Ignis greeted.

"And good evening to you too!"

Prompto waited for the woman to disappear around the corner before turning to Ignis excitedly. "Did you see the way she looked at me?!"

"She's engaged," Ignis said as they entered into the elevator cart.

"Wha—how do you know that?!"

"Aristocrats know aristocrats."

"...damn it..."

The elevator door closed shut and began its ascent to the top. "Hey Ignis, do you cook a lot?"

"I wouldn't say 'a lot'."

"Really because Noct let me have a bite of his dinner once."

"And?"

"It was amazing!"

"Is that so?" He sounded slightly amused. "What of it?"

"I was hopin' that's what we'd be eating at camp, I know you usually cook in the kitchen, so I can't imagine how it would taste out on the road!"

The elevator stopped and they walked out into the hallway.

Prompto continued. "I actually asked Noct and he said there would be no problem, now I can't wait to eat more of your meals, Iggy!"

Ignis chuckled. "Well, I certainly don't want to disappoint, tell me, what are your preferences?"

"Anything—sweets, spicy food...uh, non-spicy food, even that really weird stuff they have on the TV cooking shows!"

"I'm hoping to experiment with the local ingredients, so I'm glad you can keep an open mind."

"It's my pleasure!" He said with an enthusiastic grin.

Ignis stopped to press the button the intercom. "We've arrived." Ignis said.

"—Be right there."

The door thrust open and the two entered in. Their facial expressions skewed when they saw how unkempt the Prince kept his own apartment, though, that part was expected. "Iris texted me and said she and Gladio will be here in a few minutes," Noctis said, then collapsed back onto his couch.

Prompto surveyed the room. "We'll need all the help we can get."

"Certainly, it'll be less of a cleaning party and more of a cleaning expedition," Ignis said.

Noctis grunted, then pulled himself off the couch. "With all this bitching we might as well get started right now," He said sharply.

"Capital idea, Noct," Ignis said, he bent down and collected discarded wrappers on the floor.

"Can I use your bathroom first, Noct?" Prompto suddenly asked.

"Sure, it's down the hall to the left,"

As Prompto scurried off, Noctis walked over to a pile of clothes.

"Doing laundry, Noct?" Ignis called out, already he had compiled a trash bag full of wrappers.

"Nah, there's something I left in here a while ago...somewhere…" He threw several birthday shirts on the hardwood floor. "But feel free to do the laundry part, Specs."

Ignis scowled and walked over.

"—ah, here we go," Noctis pulled out an old tackle box. "It's my fishing gear."

"I'll make sure we'll visit a few fishing spots along the way," Ignis reassured, hinting the excitement trickling into the prince's usually flat voice.

"I've practically fished in every single body of water in Insomnia, can't wait to test my skills out there."

"As will I test out my cooking skills with any edible fish you happen to reel in."

"In that case, I'll reel in plenty."

*beep

"Got it." Noctis jogged over to the door then swung it open.

Iris and Gladiolus walked in both wearing loose smiles. "What's up." Iris greeted, her tone sounded more tired than usual.

"Yo." Gladiolus muttered, his tone also seemed a little off.

"Hey."

"Sorry we ran so late, _Gladiolus_ wouldn't stop nagging me to make all these damn stops everywhere," Iris said.

"It's not my fault, none of the stores had I wanted."

"What...were you looking for?" Noctis asked cautiously.

"Cup Noodles." They both said at the same time.

"So you're fighting about...Cup Noodles…?"

"Got a problem with my Cup noodles?" Gladiolus asked forcefully.

"Will you shut up about your Cup noodles, you act so childish sometimes!"

"Me act childish?! Don't pretend I don't know about your sudden 'outfit change'."

"That has nothing to do with this!"

"Uh-huh."

"Gladio, Iris." Ignis walked up to them having already sorted out Noctis' clothes. "No use in agitating the situation any longer, we have plenty work to do."

Iris and Gladiolus sighed in agreement. "You're right about that, kinda expected for Noct's room to be a mess, but damn," Gladiolus said.

"Yeah, it's like we're in one of those hoarders TV shows," Iris said.

"Just get cleaning you two." Noctis grumbled.

"Where do you want us to start?" Gladiolus asked.

"Anywhere's fi—"

There was suddenly a rummaging sound coming from down the hall, the bathroom door clicked open and Prompto walked out carrying a tall stack of old comic books. "Check out all the comic books I found in your bathroom, Noct! Never knew you had so many!" Prompto yelled out.

"I don't, half of 'em are yours," Noctis said.

Prompto frowned. "I thought I recognized some of these…" He muttered. "So what do you wanna do with these, Noct?"

"Meh, whatever."

"'Meh whatever'?! This was our childhood, Noct, and that's all you have to say?!"

"Yeah, I'm not into that kid stuff anymore."

"Really?" Iris asked, she strolled over to the tower of comic books and fingered through tattered childhood memories. "Some of these are in mint condition, betcha you can get a lot of money if you sell some at a pawn store."

Prompto gasped. "Sell them?!"

"Oh cool, you have some shounen in here too Noct. I used to love reading these, bet they would sell a lot if we bring 'em to the right guy."

"I can't even look at you anymore Iris," Prompto said.

Noctis nodded, competely dismissing Prompto. "Sound like a plan once we get back."

"Et tu, Noct?!"

Noctis shrugged her shoulders and went back to arranging the laundry. The room soon fell silent when everyone continued cleaning, with only a few short exchanges and the sound of typical cleaning noises filling in the soundless air. The hours crawled by and the once pitch black night, seeped into morining when the last trash bag was finally discarded.

"When you move all the trash out, this place looks massive," Prompto said in awe, reclining in the only chair left in the apartment.

"What a shame it'll be the last time we see it like this in all it's former glory," Ignis said. "When we return Noctis will begin his new life."

"It's hard to imagine what life will be like then."

"Better." Gladiolus stated.

"What do you think, are you excited for your marriage?" Prompto asked.

"Yeah, a little."

"Just a little? I'd totally be freaking out right now if I were you right now!" Iris said.

"Same here, I'd have to keep on pinching myself to make sure it isn't a dream!" Prompto added.

"I do believe Noct is more excited to see his bride after so long than the marriage itself," Ignis said teasingly.

Gladiolus smiled. "Hope the bride's just as excited to see Noct as he is to see her right now."

"Knock it off you guys." Noctis grumbled. "I'll tell Luna just how excited I am to see her whenever we get to Altissia, happy?" Everyone nodded to spite Noctis and he rolled his eyes.

"Hope you guys are all prepared for the trip from here to Altissia, the outside is no joke," Gladiolus said.

"Yeah, I hear there are wild animals out there that just walk up on you," Prompto said.

Iris broke out into a broad smile. "That sounds exciting, but terrifying all at the same time, there's gotta be a word for that!"

"Thrilling, capricious, exhilerating..." Ignis suggested.

"How about 'tericiting'!" Prompto said.

Ignis and Iris shared a tired smile.

"So then what do you guys wanna do in the meantime, before we get to anything 'tericiting', it's still early in the morning." Noctis said.

"What else?" Gladiolus got out his phone. "King's Knight!"

Noctis smirked. "You're on."

* * *

So just a few things

-Iris is 19 in this story, no one is aged up but her

-All of this I got directly from the Parting Ways script, so if you would like to check it out feel free to, literally, it's free

And of course,

-If you have any suggestions or anything relevant like something I forgot to add, please tell me

That's all, thanks


	2. Chapter 2: Departure I

**Supersonicfan7: I actually started writing this story right around Chapter 8 whenever I had to leave Iris in Cape Caem. I was like, this game would be 10 times better if Iris was in the party from the beginning.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Departure I

The soft purr of the Regalia's engine grew into a loud run when Ignis pressed on the pedal. Noctis reclined back into the passenger seat, already asleep due from a sleepless night of playing King's Knight. Meanwhile, Prompto, Iris and Gladiolus were trading conversations in the back, intoxiciated with excitement for their day of departure from Insomnia.

"Think of all the awesome shots I'm gonna get out there, who knows, it might make me famous," Prompto said as he fidgeted with his camera.

"Doubt it," Gladiolus scoffed. "An amateur like you, yeah right."

"Hey! I am not an ameatur, right guys?!"

"You can always use some work on your lighting and camera angles," Ignis suggested.

"What?!"

"Aw don't feel bad, Prompto," Iris said sweetly. "Even if you are an amateur, your pictures'll still become a hit whenever Noct gives them as a wedding gift to Lady Lunafreya."

"Gee, thanks." Prompto slumped back into his seat, frowning.

Gladiolus took out a book from the seat pocket. "Well, at least my survival skills are top notch. A night under the stars, coupled with Ignis' cooking doesn't sound too bad right about now,"

"I certainly can't do any cooking without the proper ingredients, I hope you'll be able to contribute that much, Gladio."

"'Course, hear they got a lot of good stuff growing from the ground outside Insomnia, I'll pick up however much you like."

"Splendid."

Prompto stared at the dark blur in the distance. "Hey, we're almost at the Citadel, aren't we?"

"Precisely, and soon, we'll be driving away from the Citadel and to Altissia…"

XxXxxxxx

Noctis took one last look at himself in the mirror, he was a tall, slightly toned young man with ivory skin and spiky, jet-black hair that matched his equally dark royal garments. _'Won't be long before I'm at Altissia, and then finally I'll see her again…'_

"Yo,"

"What do you want?" Noctis cooly replied.

Gladiolus grinned, humoring Noctis' usual bluntness. He leaned backward on the doorway, his bulky arms crossed and pressed onto his chest. "You're keeping everyone waiting, we're all set and ready to go," He said, attempting to imitate Noctis' voice.

"Hold on a sec',"

"What-seriously?"

"His highness needs to look perfect for the soon bride-to-be, right," Prompto cooed, he stepped into Noctis' room and crashed on his bed.

"Shut up," Noctis grumbled, he walked up to Prompto and rustled his pale blonde hair. "...alright, guess I'm ready then."

"Ignis and Iris are already in the throne room, let's not keep them waiting any longer." Gladiolus turned to walk out with Noctis and Prompto following close behind.

The narrow half decorated with ornate paintings and doors leading to various rooms, opened up into a wide, garnished room. Several stairs led up to the royal throne where Noctis' father, King Regis, sat. Without even uttering a single word, the sheer demand of his authority could be felt all throughout the castle and through every single royal guard standing by the king.

When Noctis and his friends entered, the throne room was eerily silent, save for the melodic tapping of Ignis' foot—a clear sign he was far longer than a little late. Iris clocked her head around, motioning for them to hurry up. She was dressed in her Crownsguard outfit, though she still detested all the drab black, she was none the less proud to wear her royal garments.

King Regis' voice echoed vibrantly when he spoke. "The decreed hour is come, set forth with my blessing, Prince Noctis."

Noctis bowed accordingly. "Thank you...your majesty."

"Take your leave and go in the grace of gods."

"Right..." Noctis walked past Gladiolus and down back into the narrow halls for his departure. The others quickly bowed down and followed Noctis behind.

OoO

The sunlight crept up the marble cut steps leading up to the royal castle of Crown city. Going up and down the steps was a chore Noctis could never get behind, and today they seemed longer than usual. Iris skipped down a few steps to keep up with Noctis meanwhile the others lagged behind.

"That was uh...underwhelming, Noct," Iris said.

"That's Noctis for you," Prompto chimed in.

"I figured the royal protocol we went through would fall on deaf ears," Ignis said.

Gladiolus winded his arm, skipping down a few steps like his sister. "It's not like Noct had to deliver a formal address, doubt he would even if that were the case."

"Your highness!"

Noctis stopped, he turned to his father walking down the steps with a cane. "What now?" He said, coldly, as he walked up to him.

"I fear I have left too much un-said…you place a great burden on those who would bear with you."

"Tch, you're one to talk."

King Regis faced his friends who instinctively stood up straight. "I ask not that you guide my wayward son, merely that you remain by his side."

Ignis bowed down. "Indeed your grace."

"We'll see the prince to Altissia if it's the last thing we see," Gladiolus said.

"Prince Noctis will always comes first," Iris added.

"Yeah, what they said," Prompto meekly stated, unable to find honorable words like everyone else.

They walked down the remaining steps while Noctis stayed behind to exchange his final words with the king. "Do...you think we can really do this?" Prompto said.

"Do what, exactly?" Ignis asked.

Prompto abruptly stopped on the last step. "I mean like...protecting the prince."

"Of course, the king specifically chose the four of us to protect his highness."

"Not me...I kind of just...tagged along,"

Iris walked backwards towards the car. "King Regis definitely would've done something if he didn't want 'cha 'round," She said warmly.

"My sis' is right, the king wouldn't let anyone escort his own son."

"...yeah..." He smiled. "Guess you're right!"

"Oh, I just realized something," Iris suddenly said. "It'll be a tight fit with all six of us in Cor's car, especially with Gladdy inside."

"Now that you mention it..." Ignis drifted off as he recalled the compact arrangement of Cor's car. "It'll be rather uncomfortable."

"You can always sit on my lap, sis', if you get too cramped in there."

Iris' usual doe-eyed, carefree expression soured and she glared at her older brother who smirked in return. "A-Are you serious?! I'm too old and too...big...for that!"

Gladiolus dug further, knowing he struck a nerve in Iris and drew enjoyment from her deepening embarrassment. "Wha-I don't think so, besides, you used to love sitting on your older brother's lap!"

"Yeah when I was like three!" Iris let herself into the car, making sure to slam the door.

Ignis sighed, then walked up to the car door.

"I'd be careful around her, you won't like my sis' when she's all pissy."

"I'll make sure to mind my manners." Ignis sarcastically remarked.

"Hey Noct, we're about ready to leave!" Prompto called out.

"Alright, I'm comin'!"

King Regis swiftly turned back towards the main entrance to the castle. "Prince Noctis, the blood of Lucis lies within you."

"Yeah...got it." They both went their separate ways, Noctis towards the car and King Regis towards the castle.

XxXxxxxx

The sunlight glared harshly onto Noctis and his friends as they were in the sleek Regalia making their way through Leide to get to Altissia. To say Leide was drastically different from inside the walls of Crown City was an understatement, the towering skyscrapers and smooth pavement were replaced with seasoned wooden shacks and bumpy roads.

It was a completely different enivomrment that had not much of anything else to offer other than the various rock formations. With a defeated sigh, Prompto set his camera down on the leather car seat. "There's literally nothing to take a picture of," He groaned, resting his arms behind his head.

"Leide isn't exactly known for its appealing surroundings," Ignis said who took the wheel of the Regalia.

"There's a town coming up in a few miles, maybe something'll catch your eye there," Gladiolus proposed.

"Doubt it."

*Vrrrrrrr

*Bum-bum-bum

"That doesn't sound too good," Iris said, she set her notebook down, then looked over to Noctis who was still fast asleep. _'God, when don't you sleep, Noct.'_

The Regalia came to a slow stop. "I fear the worst has happened to the Regalia," Ignis stepped onto the gas pedal and a heavy, black smoke seeped out of the exhaust pipe.

"And that doesn't _look_ too good," Iris hopped out of the car, which finally woke Noctis up.

Still half-asleep, Noctis watched Gladiolus and Prompto get out of the car. "We there already, Specs?"

Ignis tapped on the wheel. "Not quite, the car stopped before we could reach our destination."

Yawning, Noctis sat up. "Great. Just what we needed." He got out and leaned on the door instead next to Gladiolus who was attempting to hitchhike. "No luck?" Noctis asked.

"Not yet, thought people were a lot friendlier outside the city."

"Uh-huh…"

Iris slammed the hood shut. "Aaand the engine's totally fried. Any of you guys know how to fix cars?"

"Even if one of us did, we lack the tools to do any repairs since Gladio's camping gear took up the bulk of the space in the trunk," Ignis said.

"Oh, and your cooking stuff didn't take up any room." Gladiolus said sarcastically.

"Not at all."

"Whatever, looks like we'll just have to push her all the way."

"I've already pushed myself to the brink of death." Prompto wailed.

"Stop whining and get up," He kicked at Prompto's shoe. "C'mon cars don't push themselves."

"They're supposed to." He muttered.

"That's what I thought." Noctis quipped. He headed to the left side view mirror while Prompto took the right.

"C'mere sis', you're pushin' the back with me."

"Got it..."

"Ready, steady,"

Noctis, Prompto, and Iris replied with a groan.

"Alright, PUSH!" The car started rolling, albeit slowly, while Ignis leisurely guided them with the wheel.

"What a pain in the ass." Prompto muttered.

"You're telling me." Noctis muttered back.

"Not the fairy tale beginning you pictured, huh, Noct?" Gladiolus remarked.

"How'd you guess?"

"He's not the only one, I so regret wearing these shoes now, they're killing my feet," Iris said.

"We tried to warn you, Iris," Noctis said. "But you just wouldn't listen."

"Practicality comes first before style," Ignis said.

Iris let out a snort. "Practice what you preach, Iggy."

"Duly noted."

"Hey Specs, sure it isn't your turn to push?" Noctis grumbled.

"Wha-no way! It's definitely my turn," Prompto argued. "My legs are killing me!"

"And you think mine aren't?"

"Your legs won't kill you if I do first," Gladiolus muttered.

"Easy, big guy, we're all on the same boat here—oh wait, except you have huge muscles!"

"I have muscles too..." Noctis said defensively.

"Where are they again?" Iris teased.

"They're still there...even if you can't see them."

Prompto snickered. "You fooled me there, Prince."

"Now-now, save the bickering for later and concentrate on pushing the car, we still have quite the ways to go before we get to the outpost up ahead."

"Easy for you to say, Iggy!" Prompto said.

"Well, you're not wrong."

Final Fantasy XV: Revelation

- _Hammerhead_ -

Long beaten out by the glaring sun, Noctis and his friends stood on outside of the car. Prompto, who was leaning on the front wheel, gawked at the young woman coming up to them. Her blonde hair was tucked underneath a faded, red cap, along with that, she wore faded blue jean shorts and a faded yellow jacket zipped down to reveal an orange bikini top that Prompto couldn't help but drool over.

"So which one of y'all is the prince?" She asked, speaking in a thick, southern drawl.

Noctis stood up from behind the front wheel and Cindy immediately spotted him. "There you are, congrats on your weddin'!"

"Bit too early for that"

"Ah, so groom-to-be, right here in Hammerhead, huh?" She stood back and inspected the car.

"The Regalia's in pretty bad, shape isn't it? Sorry for the inconvenience." iris said, sliding off the hood.

"Oh it's no problem, sweetie, just hope paw-paw will feel the same way."

Gladiolus leaned off of the car. "So then you must be..."

"Cindy—Cid's granddaughter."

"-Roll 'er in while I'm still young," A voice croaked.

An old man walked up to the car, his white hair was tied down under the same hat Cindy wore. His clothes were noticeably baggy, save for the dark red jacket he wore over a white, upturned-collared shirt. "Didn't yer daddy tell ya, the Regalia's a custom classic, not some beat up ol' clunker." Cid stopped at Noctis.

"Prince Noctis," He muttered.

Noctis avoided Cid's washed hazel eyes and opted to stare at the Regalia. "Uh...yeah."

" _Prince_ ," He repeated with a scornful touch. "Like they kicked the dignity out of yer old man."

Noctis' tone grew defensive. "What?"

"You got a long way to go son, and that slack jaw ain't gettin' you nowhere…" Cid took another look at the Regalia. "It'll take awhile to get her up 'n' runnin', y'all push her in and run along now," He then walked off leaving Cindy to let out a low sigh.

Cindy adjusted her hat, then turned back to the others who all looked equally put off by Cid's standoffish attitude. "Y'all heard 'em, let's get movin', right this way everyone." With that, they mustered up the strength to give one, final push to get the car into the garage for Cid to get a closer inspection at.

"Now we play the waiting game," Ignis said.

"Not my favorite game to play." Prompto remarked.

"That's because you're not good at it," Noctis said.

Cindy's heels clicked on the scorching hot asphalt as she went over to Noctis, he noticed a folded map in her hand. "Y'all look pretty bored, huh."

"We're in the middle of nowhere after all."

Cindy smiled at him to which he returned a crossed smirk.

"Then why don't y'all have a look around." She handed him the map. "This is so you won't get lost."

"That doesn't sound like that bad of an idea to pass time while we wait," Iris said, walking over to them. "So what do you do here for fun, Cindy?"

"For fun…" She mused over the question. "Tinkerin' with the cars 'round here is the most fun I ever have, can't do much else with all those dangerous creatures lurkin' about."

"Dangerous creatures," Noctis said.

"Oh then we should take on some hunts while we're here, Noct."

"Sure thing, betcha we can make some easy money that way."

"That's the idea!"

"Hey Noct, Iris, check this out!" Prompto beckoned, he was standing outside of the convenience store—a place sure to have some kind of air conditioning. Noct and Iris traded curious glances before finally heading over.

Inside, the store was filled with a variety of goods and appliances, though taking up the majority of the walls and shelves were car parts. _'Kind of musty in here…'_ Noctis thought to himself, he then looked over to Prompto. "What do you want?"

"Look, they have some Ebony in here," He pointed to the canisters of coffee lining the bottom shelf. "Ignis is gonna freak when he sees all the flavors they have!"

"Yeah, but it cost 10...gil?" Noctis said. "Didn't know they had completely different currency from us too."

"Ignis thought ahead, though, right?" Prompto asked, slightly worried.

"Of course he did…"

"I sense doubt in your voice," Ignis said, emerging from behind one of the shelves, he was holding an iron chef vol. 1 cookbook in hand. "I did in fact think ahead, however we still lack the gil for anything."

 _'So...in other words, he didn't think ahead.'_ "In that case, I'll go and pick out a bounty hunt for us to take," Iris said.

"I believe Gladio is already doing so."

Iris' eyebrows furrowed. "Are you serious…" She left the store in a hurry while Noctis and Prompto looked at each other in confusion.

Ignis chuckled. "Knowing Gladio, he'll pick the most challenging bounty hunt imaginable for us to take."

Noctis and Prompto groaned.

"We should probably stock up, then, my dad only gave me a handful of the necessities."

"How much is a handful?" Prompto asked.

"Like five potions and some other medicine stuff, we'll be going through them pretty fast out there."

Gladiolus and Iris walked in, Gladiolus held the bounty sign in hand while Iris held her breath. "So I found this really high paying bounty—at least I think so, can't tell with the gil stuff,"

"It only appears at night, though, so I think it might be a daemon hunt," Iris continued.

"At night? That won't do…" Ignis said. "The Regalia will certainly be fixed before then, and unfortunately we won't have any gil to pay. I suppose it's a good time to confer with Cindy about the cost," Ignis suggested, setting down the cookbook.

Prompto sighed happily. "Anytime's a good time to talk to Cindy,"

The five exited the store and entered back into the smoldering heat, they went over to Cindy who was sitting down in the lawn chair by the garage working on a new gadget. She noticed them coming up to her and set down her tools. "She ain't gonna be ready for a while." Realizing they weren't leaving, she added, "Need somethin'?"

"Yeah, hate to ask, but we're tight on cash, any way we can make some money around here, like...right now."

"Now that you mention it, my paw-paw was going on about there being some vermin 'round these parts, I'll pay y'all to exterminate 'em, how 'bout it?"

Noctis looked over to Ignis who nodded in approval. "Sure, why not, it'll teach that old man not to underestimate us."

Cindy took his map and circled several nearby areas on it. "Alright then, but don't go runnin' around after dark or the daemons'll rip y'all to shreds," She handed Noctis the map back and a wad of gils. "This'll be enough to find a place to stay."

Noctis stashed the currency in his pocket. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it, good luck out there."

Noctis handed Ignis the map. "Where to, Specs?"

"Several hundred feet northwest, it'll be a quite a ways without the Regalia."

"Then we better get going."

OoO

They made their way into the barren, arid ocean of dust and rock formations surrounding Hammerhead's outpost, the only place with civilization for miles around.

"We're getting pretty close to the enemy," Iris said, breaking the few minutes of silence.

Ignis quickly scanned the map. "You're right, we should prepare ourselves."

Everyone consciously conjured their weapons in hand, just over the horizon, three scorpions, the size of a regular adult, were huddled up together by several rocks. They were feeding on prey—the perfect time to attack. "What's the plan?" Noctis asked Ignis.

"Warp-strike to the biggest one and take it down, the rest of us will divide into two and take the others down." Ignis explained.

"Got it." Noctis gripped the hilt of his sword, he reeled his arm back then threw at the beast. When the sword lodged into the scorpion's meaty head, Noctis felt his body start to vibrate. _'Focus on where you want to go…and then strike.'_ It took less than a second for him to wrap to the beast and dig his sword in through the head, but to Noctis, it felt like time stopped just for him, it always did.

The others followed suit on Ignis' cue, Prompto and Iris took the left scorpion while he and Gladiolus took the one on the right. A sudden surge of adrenaline pushed Prompto ahead of Iris and he took a shot at the scorpion, just as it was lunging for him, Iris jumped in front and held out her shield.

Instantaneously, the shield expanded to twice the size of her body and the scorpion flopped off of it. While the scorpion was on its back, Iris smashed the scorpion's head in with her gauntlets, right after, Prompto took his gun and began shooting rounds of bullets at the body.

At the same time, Ignis pinned the other scorpion's head down to the ground so that Gladiolus could cleanly cut the scorpion's body in half with one mighty swing of his sword.

Ignis stood up, then wiped his hands together, grateful he had the thought to wear gloves as the scorpion's inky blood stained them. "Excellent work, everyone executed their part flawlessly. Let's be on our way."

"Wait, wait," Prompto said. "Iris, I gotta see your shield, it was so cool the way it got so big like that!"

"If you want, but it's nothing special," The shield appeared in her hand, as far as shields went, it was standard, with a white paint job and the Crownsguard crest in black on the front. There was an abundance of scratches and dents on it, indicating the years she spent training with it. "In fact, I think it's time I get a new one too," She gave it to Prompto who giddily accepted the shield like a present.

"Omph...d...damn, this thing's really heavy!"

"C'mon Prompto, it's not even it's final form, here, hold it up like this,"

Prompto's arm shook as he tried to follow her movements. "Is this ok?"

"Uh-huh," Iris knocked on the shield, and a second, outer covering conjured out of thin air. "That's the cool part, it extends faster and wider depending on the amount of force exerted on it."

"Y..yeah...ha.." Prompto's knees were shaking from holding the shield. "H-How much does this even weigh?"

"Right now, it's 315 pounds, pure cast iron in that thing." She took her shield back and held it her one hand effortlessly. The shield then dispersed into its medial magic form where it would wait for the next time to be conjured.

With the weight off, Prompto collapsed on the ground, causing the other guys to break out into laughter.

"You sure are a weakling, Prompto." Gladiolus jeered.

"Shut up-shut up!"

"315 pounds of that, along with those gauntlets, can't imagine carrying all that stuff around in battle," Noctis said.

"Not if you've been carrying it around your entire life," Gladiolus said. "We Amicitia learn how to bench press before we can walk!" He added proudly.

Iris giggled. "I think that was just you, Gladdy."

"Well then, you can't stop these tanks!" He flexed his arms. "Let's find more monsters to beat the crap out of!"

Ignis glimpsed at the map for the other beasts. "There's more just south from where we are, it looks like they're rather close."

The group continued on with their weapons in hand, Ignis raised his hand, signaling them to stop. The others followed him as he crouched down behind a large boulder. "There's around seven to eight scorpions this time," He said in a hushed voice.

"Let's do what we did the last time," Noctis suggested.

"It won't work, they're not huddled up in a group for us to easily take on."

"Good point..."

"Then we'll mow straight through them," Gladiolus said.

Ignis sighed. "So in other words, we have no plan."

"Nothing wrong with doing it the old fashioned way." Gladiolus stood up and ran straight towards the group of scorpions, the others followed him with a hint of doubt running through their minds.

Gladiolus raised his sword and sliced right through an unsuspecting scorpion. _'Awesome, first strike!'_

"GLADIO!" Noctis yelled, Gladiolus watched the prince run directly towards him holding the same gigantic two-handled sword he had. "GET DOWN!" His eyes darted back to a scorpion lunging for him.

Quickly, Noctis threw his blade as if it were a dart and it slashed the scorpion like a slab of butter, though, the blade kept on flying wildly through the air until it lodged itself into a nearby rock formation where he consecutively warped to.

"Where'd you learn that one, Noct?!" Gladiolus shouted, heaving his sword to the midline of his body.

"Oh you know, just kind of picked it up…" Noctis called back out. _'Shit, I meant to warp-strike the thing, not point-warp, well...at least it's dead.'_

As the others were getting to the horde, the scorpions grouped up with each other. Ignis nodded to Prompto and Iris, who ran ahead of him. Iris manually enlarged her shield, then slid on the ground towards the scorpions. When the scorpions began piling up on her shield, she thrust them up into the air for Prompto to make quick work of them.

"Ready, Prompto?" Iris said.

"Yeah, I got it!"

Prompto kneeled down on one knee and steadily aimed his gun at the airborne scorpions. "Or maybe not, I can't see anything with all the dust she kicked up…" He mumbled to himself, coughing. "...well, I hope this works out!" He shot several rounds at the incoming scorpions, though he had mostly accurate aim, some of the bullets escaped into the piling cloud of dirt.

"IRIS, WATCH OUT!"

*clank-clank-clank

He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank God!"

The scorpions finally fell to the ground where Ignis wasted no time in skewering them with his lance.

"Making kabobs for dinner, Iggy." Prompto joked.

"I do recall you saying you were open to any dish I prepare."

"Everything...except for grilled scorpions."

Ignis let out a chuckle while his lance dispersed. "I'll keep that in mind."

Everyone else jointly regrouped with Prompto and Ignis. No one was left untouched from the inescapable clutches of dirt and their once jet black uniforms were caked with dry dust. _'Looks like everyone's laundry will have to be prioritized once we get back to Hammerhead.'_ "Are we all ready?" Ignis asked.

"Yeah, ready to take a bath," Noctis said. "I can taste the dirt in my mouth."

"We're all in the same boat here," Prompto said, he then turned to Iris. "And I'm sorry about the whole me almost shooting you thing, I couldn't see with all the dirt."

"No it's fine, it really wasn't the best idea to go sliding around like that, but I looked cool while doing it," Iris said jokingly as she attempted to wipe off all the dirt she accumulated from her latest stunt.

"Let's finish off the last one's so we can get back to Hammerhead as soon as possible, I can't stand having this dirt all over my uniform." Gladiolus said.

"As do I..." Ignis, having already memorized the last location, walked ahead of the group for them to follow.

"So where are we going after the Regalia gets fixed?" Prompto asked.

"Our next destination is Galdin Quay, just south of Hammerhead," Ignis said.

"Isn't Galdin Quay a beach resort?" Iris asked, relieved at the thought of leaving the dry wasteland they were stuck in.

"Precisely."

"Maybe it won't hurt if we stay at Galdin Quay for a day or two before heading out to Altissia," Noctis said, he cracked a small smile. "They might even have a few good fishing spots lying around."

"Whaaat? A beach, now that's picture worthy!" Prompto exclaimed.

"That reminds, did you take any pictures since we've gotten to Hammerhead?" Gladiolus asked.

Prompto answered by getting out his camera which was tucked neatly into his sleeveless jacket pocket. "I have actually," He showed Gladiolus.

"...are these all pictures of Cindy?" He asked slowly, Prompto nodded.

"Oh yeah, she's like the best thing that's happened to me since we left Insomnia!"

"Uh...huh."

"Aw, does Prompto have a little crush on our car mechanic?" Iris teased.

"It's more than just a crush, Iris, did you see the way she looked at me that one time?!"

"I think she was looking at the Regalia that time—and all the other times."

"Cindy is very passionate about cars," Ignis reminded, much to Prompto's annoyance.

"Tch, whatever."

Ignis slowed down to a stop, he whipped the map out, checking it profusely. "That's odd, the enemy should be right here."

"Maybe you read the map wrong…" Noctis started to say, but he sounded doubtful of that notion.

Iris shook her head. "No, Ignis is right, they're just underground," She said, her heightened sense of hearing and smell stemming from her Amcitica blood, allowed her to easily track enemies, a skill that made her an excellent hunter. "They must of sensed our movements before we even got there."

"Ah, so they're smart little bastards," Gladiolus said.

"So then, what's—" Before Prompto could finish, a scorpion popped out from the underground and pounced on Prompto.

Noctis wasted no time in kicking the creature off and crushing its body simply with his boots. "You ok, Prompto?" Noctis asked, summoning his weapon.

"Yeah I'm fine...gah..." He clenched his shoulder.

"No you aren't!" Noctis pulled out a potion. "Someone fix him up," He spoke quietly. "...because I can't."

Iris took the potion from Noctis' grasp. "Leave it to me," She said.

While the others prepared for another scorpion attack, Iris dragged Prompto to the sideline, she took out a small medical kit from her pocket and set it down next to her. "Can you show me your wound?"

Prompto's hand stayed in place.

"Prompto..." Frustrated, she grabbed the collar of his jacket and shook him. "This isn't funny, so stop acting like an idiot and show me already!"

"Then...promise me you won't tell the guys about it."

"Why?"

Prompto removed his hand and Iris' eyes widened, a deep flesh wound was clearly etched into his shoulder, but the fluid that bled out was black as if he was bleeding out ink.

"...Does it hurt?"

"It used to, but now I can't feel anything."

Iris cleaned and wrapped the wound in silence, she gazed at his shoulder, then to Prompto.

"...Iris..." He started to say.

"Don't say anything, just..." She paused, trying to find the right words. "...just don't worry about it, there's nothing wrong with the way you are...I still promise I won't tell them, but I think you should, eventually."

 _'Like I can tell them that I'm an imperial soldier...their enemy.'_

* * *

A/N: The last part is obviously way before the 'imperial soldiers are above us' is relevant, but I figured I'd establish it much early on so it can hold some weight. I'll be doing things like that pretty often, just as a heads up.


End file.
